I make no secret about the fact that Tri-Spark are one of my favourite aftermarket parts manufacturers for our classic bikes.

The bossman over there Stephen Kelly has demonstrated time and time again that he is in tune with what his market wants to buy.

I like the fact that he innovates, but also that he learns and listens which leads to iteration… the products get better and better.

Take a look at my article “Let’s talk about Tri-Spark” – it walks through a couple of things to consider when upgrading your bike’s ignition.

Something New

Take for example their latest electronic ignition product – the Classic Twin TRI-0006.

This updated unit looks the same on the outside as the old model.

…but don’t be fooled!

The new TRI-0006 unit replaces the two units that they used to make:

• the TRI-0005A (for clockwise rotating shafts like the Atlas and Dommie where the ignition unit is sat behind the engine mounted to the back face of the ‘magneto ear’)
• the TRI-0005B (for counter-clockwise rotating shafts like the Commando where the ignition unit is sat at the front of the engine mounted to the front face of the timing cover)

Having one model to replace two is great news for workshops and resellers, as it means they have to carry less inventory.

But watch out…

For newcomers to Tri-Spark, this is no problem at all.

However, if you have installed several Tri-Sparks in the past, you may have muscle memory and will have not noticed that the timing marks on the units have been reversed between the TRI-0005 and TRI-0006 units.

Take a 1972 Commando as an example – this has the points cover at the front of the engine and is driven by the cam that rotates Anti-Clockwise.

Before 2022, you are in the OLD Tri-Spark world and you would buy the model TRI-0005B.

You would time off the “B” mark which was at the 4 o’clock position, ignoring the “A” mark at the 2 o’clock position

Click here to open the manual for the OLD MODEL TRI-0005 Classic Twin

From 2022 onwards, you are now in the NEW Tri-Spark world and are now buying the current model TRI-0006.

You would time off the “AC” mark which is at the 2 o’clock position, ignoring the “CW” mark at the 4 o’clock position

Click here to open the manual for the NEW MODEL TRI-0006 Classic Twin

Be careful

This is a minor issue, but has caught several people out already.

Of course, it will become less and less of a problem moving forward as old stock is depleted.

However, there are still Tri-Spark resellers out there with inventory of old products, so make sure you carefully read the product number and ensure you follow the correct set of instructions to get your bike timed properly.

Hopefully this helps someone somewhere!